Keppel Harbour (Chinese: 吉宝港口 or 岌巴港口; pinyin: Jíbǎo Gǎngkǒu or Jíbā Gǎngkǒu; Malay: Pelabuhan Keppel), also called the Keppel Channel and formerly New Harbour, is a stretch of water in Singapore between the mainland and the southern islands of Pulau Brani and Sentosa (formerly Pulau Blakang Mati). Its naturally sheltered and deep waters was to meet the requirements of British colonists attempting to establish a Far East maritime colony in that part of the world, thereby setting the stage for the eventual formation of Singapore as a successful independent state.
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👉 Keppel Harbour in the context of Singapore Strait
The Singapore Strait is a 113 km-long (70 mi), 19 km-wide (12 mi) strait between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east. Singapore is on the north of the channel, and the Indonesian Riau Islands are on the south. The two countries share a maritime border along the strait.
It includes Keppel Harbour and many small islands. The strait provides the deepwater passage to the Port of Singapore, which makes it very busy. Approximately 2,000 merchant ships traverse the waters on a daily basis in 2017. The depth of the Singapore Strait limits the maximum draft of vessels going through the Straits of Malacca, and the Malaccamax ship class.
In this Dossier
Keppel Harbour in the context of Sentosa
Sentosa Island (IPA: /sɛnˈtoʊsə/ sen-TOH-sə), known mononymously as Sentosa, is an island located off the southern coast of Singapore's main island. The island is separated from the main island of Singapore by a channel of water, the Keppel Harbour, and is adjacent to Pulau Brani, a smaller island wedged between Sentosa and the main island.
Formerly used as a British military base and afterwards as a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, the island was renamed Sentosa in the 1970s to become a popular tourist destination. It is now home to a popular resort that receives up to 25 million visitors per year. Attractions include a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long sheltered beach, Madame Tussauds Singapore, an extensive cable car network, Fort Siloso, two golf courses, 14 hotels as well as the Resorts World Sentosa, which features the Universal Studios Singapore theme park and one of Singapore's two casinos, the other being in Marina Bay Sands.
Keppel Harbour in the context of Long Ya Men
Long Ya Men or Longyamen (simplified Chinese: 龙牙门; traditional Chinese: 龍牙門; pinyin: lóngyámén; Malay: Batu Berlayar) or Dragon's Teeth Gate, is the name that Chinese explorer Wang Dayuan recorded for Batu Belayar, a craggy granite outcrop that formerly stood at the gateway to Keppel Harbour in Singapore. In his description, "The strait runs between the two hills of the Temasek (Chinese: 單馬錫; pinyin: Dānmǎxī; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tan-má-sek or Chinese: 淡馬錫; pinyin: Dànmǎxī; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tām-má-sek) natives which looked like a dragon's teeth." From there, the name Long Ya Men or Dragon Teeth's Gate was born.
The rocky outcrop served as a navigational aid to ancient mariners sailing through the swift waters of the narrow channel, but was subsequently destroyed by the British in 1848 to widen the channel for larger vessels to sail through. In 2005, a symbolic replica was erected by the Singapore government near its original site to mark the role it played in Singapore's maritime history.
Keppel Harbour in the context of Pulau Brani
Pulau Brani is an island located off the southern coast of Singapore, near Keppel Harbour. The island is situated between the main island of Singapore and the resort island of Sentosa, and is linked to the mainland via Brani Terminal Avenue. The area of Pulau Brani is 1.22 square kilometres (0.47 square miles). The island was previously home for Orang Laut, and in Malay, the meaning of Pulau Brani is “isle of the brave”.